Natsume's Cinderella
by Miya Azlikov
Summary: Mikan Sakura has absolutely nothing. After her parents were murdered, she was sent into a living hell - working under Luna Koizumi, who slaved her around the hotel she owned. When the princes and princesses of the kingdom meet together at this hotel to discuss matters, Mikan catches their attention. Especially Natsume Hyuuga's attention. What will happen? Natsume x Mikan!
1. My Life

My eyelids were heavy from lack of sleep, as I'd been awake for the past two days. Luna, my stepmother, had been even harsher and more demanding than usual this week. Because according to the whispers going around, the royals were stopping by our classy hotel. The princes and princesses from the four provinces were meeting up at our hotel, and would be staying for a whole week.

It was a comely, clean place. But since Luna was a money hoarder, she fired almost all of the staff and instead forced all the chores and jobs onto me. It's been like this since she adopted me - for this very reason - when I was seven. Now, I'm sixteen.

I survived this long because of my positive outlook on life. My endurance, my appreciation of the little things. My parents had been murdered in front of me as a child. I'd lived in a trashy, abusive orphanage for years. It wasn't much different than Luna's hotel, of course, but at least the other maids here cared for me. And when I went to town, all the villagers tried to help me out. They gave me free food, tried to put ointment on my cuts and bruises.

It was because of what my mother said as she lie on the cold stone floor, blood pooling around her figure, that led me to be the strong willed girl I am today. My father was already dead, beside her. Once the attackers had gone, she'd slid open the hidden trapdoor where she'd hidden me the whole time. Then she'd whispered to me: "Always be strong, even if times are tough. Always smile. Help others. We'll always be watching over you. We love you, Mikan. We always will."

Meanwhile, I was sprawled across the tile floor, washing them with worn rags and soap. I could feel my vision blurring, and minutes later, I blacked out and crumpled onto the damp ground.

* * *

I was beaten awake.

My eyes jolted open, perhaps an hour later, when I felt the handle of a broom whack my back. I muttered apologies, trying to get up, but another whipping sent me crashing to the floor again.

"You pathetic child!" Luna screamed. "I give you food and a place to stay, and you do this? Sleep on the job? You're as pathetic as your parents."

She gave me one last hard whack, and then kicked me against the wall. I whimpered, but I did not cry. I never wanted to give Luna the pleasure of seeing me cry, no matter how painful her beatings were. I cried later, when she would leave for town or something, trying to tend to the disgusting bruises that would then rack my body.

Luna threw me a fresh set of clothes, and spat: "I want this back later. Get dressed and try to look presentable for the royals tonight. The other maid will help you, since _you're _absolutely useless."

I nodded and scrambled away, running to my room. It was the smallest one in the entire hotel, being on the highest level, where it was mostly storage/laundry rooms. Only eight other hotel rooms were on that floor, and both of those were probably four times as big as mine.

The maid, Annabelle, saw me in my disheveled state and shook her head. In this hell, she was like my substitute mother. "Poor child. Luna again? I don't understand why she only beats you! She's a devil."

I nodded numbly, shutting the door. I held up the outfit - a pretty white dress with a pink satin sash tied across, knotted at the front. It was actually a decent dress, so I wasn't surprised that Luna wanted it back. She probably just wanted me to look presentable.

"The wretched woman. She's going to pretend to be a loving caretaker, even though she treats us all like dirt! But the woman forgot about all those bruises she marked on you and gave you a short-sleeved dress. She'll be found out soon enough!" Annabelle exclaimed fiercely. It was a hopeful statement, that she would be thrown into jail for abuse, but it was a statement that was said almost every morning. It never really did happen. The clients that stayed over never noticed us being trashed around because (1) Luna never showed her demonic side in front of them, and (2) they were usually busy with their own affairs. By now, the fire behind the words had been smothered into dead ashes.

She led me to an already prepared bath, and I sunk into the water. I almost fell asleep, actually, it was so relaxing. But too soon, Annabelle pulled me out, dried me off, and slipped the dress over my head.

She dried my hair and set it down, softly curling the edges. She fixed a couple pins into my hair, applied a sheen of lip gloss, and set a mirror in front of me.

I stared at my reflection in amazement. I touched my face. I looked beautiful, save for all the bruises on my arms and my legs. Supermodel beautiful. And it was a natural type of beauty. A beauty that glowed and resonated.

"Wow, Annabelle! You really know how to cover up my ugliness!" I exclaimed.

Annabelle looked at me sadly. "My dear, I didn't cover up anything. I just revealed the beauty that Luna's been trying to hide."

I raised my eyebrows. "Hide?"

"Though not successfully. She gives you rags, beats you until you're black and blue. Yet you still resonate purity. And remain beautiful," Annabelle sighed. "Let me tell you one thing. It's the heart that counts. Nobody can change your heart. Even if you have the curviest body, if your heart is cold and cruel, it shows. Like Luna. That's what she doesn't understand. Though she's anything but pretty."

We stayed silent for a while, but the distant sound of horns jolted us out of our daze. "The royals?"

Annabelle nodded hastily. "Hurry. We have to be in the lobby soon."

We fled down the stairs, because going in the elevator would probably result in facing Luna, who considered the stairs "too much effort." When we got to the lobby, other maids were lining up. Luna stood at the doorway barking orders. Her eyes flickered outside regularly, and when she saw the royals drive into the parking lot, she suddenly plastered on a fake smile.

All the other maids looked completely dead - tired from lack of sleep, scared, fragile from not enough food. But they all looked better than me. None of them had bruises; none of them received half of the scolding and screaming that Luna gave me.

A collective breath was taking in around the room as the royals came into sight, surrounded by bodyguards and streamers.

Luna greeted them with a fake smile, her voice dripping with sweetness. "How are you doing, Prince Ruka? Princess Hotaru?"


	2. The Truth Behind Mikan Sakura

**No copyrights intended. All due credits go to the real author of Alice Academy. Please Review! **

* * *

Luna was outside talking to the royal bodyguards. And she didn't seem happy. She desperately tried to debate with the gruff men, but at the end, she sighed and gave in. Meanwhile, I took the time to look around. All the employees had pulled out their best clothes. We arranged ourselves in two lines, and as the royals walked in, we all bowed silently. After a good ten seconds, our heads raised.

There were two royals in front of us: a boy and a girl, both around my age. The girl, Hotaru Imai, had porcelain skin, ebony black hair that was cut short, and cold purple eyes. As she looked around the room, her eyes seemed to pick up every detail. They seemed to linger in my direction, but I wasn't sure. The boy was Ruka Nogi, who seemed opposite the princess. He had blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes; but unlike Hotaru's, they were absolutely charming and warm.

Luna shoved a ring of keys to me. Then, as if realizing that her violent nature had come out unintentionally, she quickly put a hand to her mouth. "Oh dear, I'm _so _sorry!"

I grimaced in pain. When she'd shoved the keys, it had strained against my newest bruise on my forearm. But I knew I had to keep up the show. If not, I'd get a million times more punishment later. I pulled a fake smile, even though my eyes were hollow. "No worries, ma'am."

All the maids looked at me with pity. Some even glared at the back of Luna. But when she turned around, they all knew better and trained their eyes on the floor. Their jobs were on the line.

"Mikan, could you show the guests to their rooms?" Luna asked sweetly, though her eyes gave me a different vibe. "They're in room 905 and 906. Give them the master key when you've shown them their room."

So that's why Luna was antsy. The ninth floor was the highest floor, the last floor. It was also _my_ floor. I guess Luna didn't want them anywhere near "my worthless self."

"Of course, ma'am," I stammered quietly. I squirmed away with the keys and bowed before the two royals.

The princess looked at me somewhat quizzically. Her eyes lingered on the many bruises on my body, and when her eyes met mine, I knew she'd figured it out.

I swallowed nervously and gestured to the elevators down the hall. "This way."

The royals followed suit, with their four bodyguards behind and next to them. Inside the elevator, I pressed the ninth floor button and waited as the elevator surged upward.

I walked them down the hall. Both of their rooms were right across from mine. I gave the prince his key, and he smiled his thanks and disappeared into the room. His bodyguards followed him in to search the room briefly, but then remained outside of his room.

I gave Hotaru her key, and as I did, she caught my wrist. I looked at her in alarm.

"I'm sorry…M-may I help you?" I asked in a small voice.

"Your bruises. Where'd you get them?" Hotaru asked icily.

"These?" I hesitated, thinking. "I, um, fell down the stairs."

She stared at me, clearly in disbelief. She knew I was lying. "Are you lying to a royal? You _do _know that is a violation of the sixty-fifth code?"

I froze. I'd never heard of that code, but then again, I didn't study the law. I barely knew any codes of law.

"Sorry. Then, um…can we talk inside?" I asked.

As a response, Hotaru opened the door and walked inside. I followed, and as the bodyguards stepped in, Hotaru cast them a glance. "Stay outside."

They quickly stepped out of the doorframe and closed it within seconds.

Hotaru sat on the armchair by the window, and I uncomfortably sat down on the bed.

"Talk, Mikan Yukihara."

"It's the caretaker Luna—" I began. Then I stopped, finally processing what the princess had said. Every muscle in my body tensed. I looked at her with a guarded expression. "_My _name is Mikan Sakura. Mikan Yukihara was murdered, along with her family. It was all over the news nine years ago. I'm sorry, I think you have our names mixed up, princess."

Hotaru abruptly stood up. "Quit playing innocent. I know who you are. Even though you look completely different, I know it's you. And I'm never wrong."

I remained silent, furiously thinking. She _knew _who I was. Somehow, she knew that I had managed to escape from death, from the attack that had killed my parents.

She was the first to break the silence, but this time her eyes had softened, and her voice cracked with sadness. "Sole daughter of Yuka Azumi and Izumi Yukihara. The princess of the fifth, now demolished province."

I looked away, tears springing to my eyes as I remembered. Our province had been annihilated after my parents, the king and queen, had been murdered. Moments before the assassin had come into the quarters, my father had barricaded the door, creating enough time to hide me. The concealed trapdoor that protected me led to a whole system of hidden passageways in the castle. And it also had a small hole where I could see everything.

I witnessed their deaths. I watched, a hand covering my mouth as I silently sobbed, while my father was kicked to the ground and shot. And finally, as the attacker gunned my mother.

After the assassin left, my mother turned to me and whispered her last words.

Moments later, a familiar face appeared behind me in the secret passageway—the face of Narumi Anjou, my parents' most trusted advisor and friend. He stowed me away in the trunk of his car and snuck me out of my home province, which was later bombed and cannoned by opposing forces. The other four provinces tried to come in and help, but by the that time, everything in the province had been ruined.

My home, in ashes.

Afterwards, the whole castle was bombed and burned to a crisp, so nobody could count or name bodies. Narumi changed my surname and sent me to an orphanage, as it was low cover. He told me that he was sorry, that this was the only life left, that exposing myself would be a threat to my life. His exact words were: "I'd rather you live in dire circumstances, than be dead like Yuka and Izumi. I'm sorry for being selfish."

Then he'd returned to the press, which had by then been swarming around the ruins. Already devastated by the loss of his two closest friends, it wasn't hard for Narumi to pull out an emotional performance in front of the cameras. But he did say that I had died with my parents, so after that, the whole nation mourned alongside him and believed I to be dead too.

Except this girl in front of me.

* * *

**Clarification (if you need it): Mikan Sakura is actually one of the true Princesses of the Alice Nation. Her Province (similar to a state) was under attack when she was seven years old. Her parents were murdered in front of her, but she was hidden away. Narumi secretly helped her escape and changed her identity to Mikan Sakura. The press reports, and the rest of the nation, think Mikan Yukihara is dead, but she's not. **

**Luna adopted Mikan from the orphanage, but she doesn't have a clue about Mikan's past. When she said "You're as worthless as your parents!" in the first chapter, it's because the background writeup from the orphanage says that Mikan was the daughter of a drug dealer and an alcoholic. **


	3. Dinner With the Royals

**Thanks for reading! Please review, all the support is appreciated! I finally made a longer chapter with more than two thousand words. It's a milestone!**

* * *

"Explain everything to me," Hotaru ordered.

"Then explain how you know who I am," I countered.

Hotaru gave me a defiant look, but she finally gave in with a loud sigh. "When I was younger, I always saw you on television. It wasn't a surprise. The country loved you, the press loved you. I admired your spirit, your kindness, and your leadership, even as a child. When we were six years old, we met. You don't remember, but I do. At the time, I was extremely unsocial. I still am. But back then, I wasn't as pretty, as established, as genius, or as known for my inventions as I am today. People in the palace looked down on me, and all the noble girls and boys called me weird and teased me."

I tilted my head as I listened, wondering why I didn't remember.

She continued, "When I met you, I was one among many noble girls surrounding you. They all fawned over you, and I stood back in the corner. But you were the first one who reached out genuinely, not because they wanted something from me or my family. When I told you everything, I remember you telling me…" Hotaru paused, as nostalgic memories filled her. "I remember you said _You're a wonderful person, so don't change. You're perfect the way you are. Trust me, you'll show all of them in time. Let's be best friends, okay?" _

Hotaru's gaze locked with mine. "And then a year later, I heard that you were murdered. Even though we'd only met once, I still regarded you as my closest friend, so it was painful. But then Narumi Anjou came to our Province, looking for a job. He got one as the treasury head. I was walking past the most vacant hallway in the palace when I overheard someone talking. I heard your name, and I was immediately drawn in. Then I heard the words _alive _and _in an orphanage. _I've been searching for you ever since. And now I've found you."

I sighed at the last piece of information, but I felt happy that I'd helped her out as a child. "Leave it to Narumi to leak."

"He actually was talking when all the other adults were gathered in Court, so it was a very smart choice. Unfortunately, he didn't know that I was sick and had escaped my quarters."

I raised an impressed eyebrow. "You got past the busybody servants and security guards without being noticed?"

"Hey, nobody checks the bottom of the breakfast cart. And I had a servant help me out."

"Did you pay him?"

"Her," Hotaru corrected deviously.

I laughed. "You know, if I wasn't a maid…If I was still a princess, I would've loved to be your best friend."

Hotaru smiled at that. "Even when I thought you were dead, you were always my best friend. And…about the whole princess turned maid issue? I can change that."

I shook my head. "It'd be too suspicious. And doesn't everyone in the royal castle need a background check? I'd be screwed, right then and there."

"I'm a genius, I have four master degrees at the age of sixteen. Creating a fake background? I could do that with my eyes closed."

I hesitated, remembering Narumi's warning. That exposing myself could endanger my life. "I'll think about it, okay?"

Hotaru bit her lip. "Fine. But be prepared to tell the other royals. They're all trustworthy, if you must know, and all of them could help you. And personally, I think one of them could use _your _help."

"My help?"

"Never mind," Hotaru said.

"Speaking of which, where _are_ the rest of the royals?" I asked.

"They should be here in half an hour."

My eyes bulged. "Half…an hour?! I have to go. Luna's going to kill me!"

"I'll catch up with you later. And, be prepared to tell the rest of the royals. Perhaps next week."

I rolled my eyes, clearly indicating that I was not in agreement. But I waved good-bye and sprinted out the door, jammed buttons on the elevator, and went to the kitchen.

* * *

I got yelled at by Luna for being late. Somehow, she seemed more nervous than usual, but I dismissed it and got to work.

I helped cook, but then the royals arrived. This time, Luna showed them up to their rooms (all on my floor, for some reason). Since most of the maids weren't strong and were fairly old, I was one of three who would bring out the course. The royals would be dining in the luxurious room behind the main lobby. The front doors were surrounded by bodyguards of a sort, and the hotel had been closed down for the week, so all the other rooms were empty.

Around ten minutes later, I had two trays balanced on my arms. It was especially painful, what with all the bruises on them, but I persevered.

I glanced at the sheet of paper telling me which plate was whose. First off, I gave Hotaru three (!) courses of crab. I gave her a disbelieving look, and she shrugged, a small grin on her face.

Her three plates took up a whole tray, so after giving her meal, I set it aside on an adjacent, unused table. Almost immediately, my arm felt better without the heavy metal pressing against the bruises.

Unfortunately, I could also sense eyes on my arm. I avoided the royals' stares, but I could tell they'd noticed. I went around the table giving out plates, and quickly got the hell out of there.

I sat in the main lobby, completely exhausted as Annabelle vacuumed the floors. It was my job, but she'd insisted on taking it over today. Luna had gone out to town, and would be gone for at least another three hours.

But twenty minutes later, a maidservant who had been closely watching the royals rushed out towards us. "Mikan?"

I raised my hand in acknowledgement. "Over here. What's up, Larissa?"

Larissa was three years older than me, being nineteen, and she was the second youngest employee in the whole establishment. She was also head over heels obsessed with the royals, specifically Ruka Nogi.

"The royals called you," Larissa whispered harshly.

"Me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you! Hurry up! And if you can, get Ruka's signature for me, okay?" Larissa exclaimed.

I rolled my eyes. "If I can, but I assure you, they probably just want another fork or something."

I entered the dining room where the royals were seated. When the security guards closed the door behind me, effectively shutting Larissa out, I knew something was up. Especially when I noticed the empty chair beside Hotaru, which had been just added to the table.

"May I help you with something?" I asked politely.

"Yes, actually," Hotaru exclaimed. She patted the seat beside her. "Sit."

Her voice was a command, and I knew better than to disobey. I reluctantly walked over and took a tentative seat on the plush chair.

Hotaru gave me a reassuring smile. Then one of the princes gasped. "Did Imai just smile?"

Hotaru, in turn, shot the boy a death glare. "Shut up, Koko. This is a serious matter."

"I'm confused. What's going on? Since when did you randomly call out servants to the royal table?" Anna voiced out. She turned to me. "I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Mikan Yu—I mean, Sakura," I stuttered. I cursed at myself. _How could I slip up like that? _

Anna smiled, oblivious. But across the table, I saw crimson eyes narrow in thought, and I somehow knew that he saw through my facade. "Mikan YuSakura?"

"No. Mikan Sakura." I corrected, smiling nervously at Anna.

"Drop the act, Mikan," Hotaru interrupted sharply. "Come on, you can trust everyone at this table."

I bit my lip, and looked up at Hotaru from underneath my long eyelashes. I hesitated, and the hesitation became a long silence. Finally, Hotaru broke it.

"All right. You want to play silent? Then I'll say it," Hotaru said. "Though I honestly think that _you _should clear up this mess."

I sighed, and finally gave up. "Fine…"

I warily eyed the royals, who were staring at me in anticipation. "Um…well, I know this may sound ridiculous, but…um, I'm Mikan Yukihara."

Immediately, they all gasped in shock (besides Hotaru and Natsume.)

"What? How? Oh my God! She's dead. Impossible!" was the response that buzzed through my ears for the next minute. Until…

"BE QUIET!" Hotaru screamed at the top of her lungs, thoroughly annoyed. She composed herself in a matter of seconds, and stood up like nothing happened. Meanwhile, the other royals sweat dropped. "Well then, let's meet in my room. Right now. Mikan, you're coming too."

We took the elevator up, and as it was in the main lobby, we passed by several maids who stared overtly. Larissa mouthed: "Signature from Ruka!" and I slightly shook my head in an _No-way-that's-not-going-to-happen _expression.

We all piled into the elevator. It was a slow one, so the tension remained pretty high. Until the friendly Tsubasa shattered the silence.

"Wow Mikan, you've grown _up_," Tsubasa remarked playfully. "Last time I saw you, you were seven. What are you now? Seventeen?"

I shook my head, blushing at the way he'd said I'd grown up. "Sixteen."

He pulled me into a hug, and then I felt Misaki sobbing into my shoulder. "I missed you…"

"You've gotten so beautiful, Mikan. And you wear your hair down now! Remember when we were kids, and you never had your hair in any style besides the pigtails?" Nonoko laughed wholeheartedly.

By this time, we were in Hotaru's room. After all the hugs and reuniting, I answered Nonoko's question. "I…um, I lost my memories. Or something like that. I don't remember anything before the attack. It's really weird."

Tsubasa's eyes darkened. "Nothing?"

I shook my head, and I felt a depressing vibe in the room. I hated that feeling, so I smiled my million dollar smile. "But I'm really glad that all of you remembered me. It means a lot."

At this, Tsubasa smiled and ruffled my hair in a brotherly manner. "How could I forget my little angel?"

"Hey, but you've really gotten beautiful, eh?" Tsubasa teased, causing me to blush sheepishly. "Right, Natsume?"

My gaze turned to the boy in question. He stood leaning against the wall, being the only one to not speak so far. All the rest had welcomed me back in some sort of form.

His crimson eyes locked with mine for a brief second. "Whatever."

"Come on, Natsume, no need to be shy," Tsubasa chorused. "You see, Mikan, Natsume had the biggest crush on you when we were little. I don't know if he still does, but trust me, when he says whatever it's a yes."

I glanced at Natsume in curiosity, and wow he _was _handsome. He had a faint blush on his cheeks, almost unreadable, but I've been trained since a young age to take in the slightest details.

But then his eyes hardened, and he spoke up. "What's with your bruises?"

I looked at them in reference. Beside me, I felt Tsubasa stiffen in anger. "Um…I…I ran into a pole?"

"Is that a question?" Nonoko asked, confused.

"Er…statement."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Nonoko answered.

Hotaru sighed. "Are you stupid, Nonoko? It's obvious she's lying. Mikan's been abused by the caretaker all these years."

"The fake bitch that greeted us at the door?" Koko exclaimed.

"Uh huh. Right Mikan?" Hotaru asked.

I stared at my hands, tears coming to my eyes as I remembered the horrible things Luna had done to me in the past.

I felt somebody embracing me again. I looked up, expecting Tsubasa. But it was a more warm, and more passionate embrace than Tsubasa's brotherly one.

It was Natsume Hyuuga.

"I think that's enough for today," Natsume said huskily. "Let's continue this tomorrow? It's late already."

I nodded in agreement, and peeked at the other royals' responses. They were all in mutual agreement, though in Tsubasa's eyes, I saw a scandalous glint as he mouthed: "He's not over you yet!"

I rolled my eyes, a hand wiping the tears forming at the edges. But although I'd never admit it aloud, I felt safe in Natsume's embrace, cradled by his strong arms. Safer than I'd ever felt since the attack.

Natsume walked me out the room, and to my small room across the hall. I pressed the code into the door and the door swung open. We walked inside. I felt so tired now that all the chaos was over. After all, I hadn't slept in days.

Noticing my fatigue, Natsume carried me towards my bed and carefully set me down underneath the covers.

"I missed you," he whispered, almost inaudibly. "But you don't remember me, right?"

I shook my head sadly. "But I could learn to know you again. While you're here."

"Yeah," Natsume said. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. He motioned around him. "So you've been living in this hell for nine years now?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's not so bad."

Natsume shook his head. "Always optimistic."

I let out an airy laugh. "I guess."

Natsume stood up to leave. "Well, I should get back to the others. They'll start forming rumors otherwise."

I smiled. "Of course."

He reached the door and opened it. Halfway through the doorframe, I called his name. He looked at me. "Yes?"

"Natsume…thank you." And with that, my body gave out and I fell asleep…

Unknown to me, Natsume had smiled at that. A true smile. As he closed the door, he'd whispered to nobody in particular: "I love you."

And then unbeknownst to _him, _Hotaru was grinning in the other room because she'd clipped a bug onto his shirt collar and recorded what he'd said.

"Perfect blackmailing material…" Hotaru said devilishly.

Tsubasa shook his head. "You scare me, Hotaru. And Natsume? Wow…he finally found his Cinderella, huh?"

* * *

**Clarification (I guess I'll just do this each time): Mikan has no recollection of her memories before the attack on her province. In this chapter, she meets all the royals. She tells them her true identity, and all of them reunite. Mikan finds out about Natsume's little crush on her as a child. **

**Please R&R. Thank you to all for reading! **


	4. Shipped Away

That night, something rare happened. Something that hadn't occurred in years: I didn't have a nightmare about the attack. Normally, when I closed my eyes, I would remember the bombings, the gunshots, my parents' bodies on the ground.

But tonight, I remembered the royal gardens before they were burned. I remembered my parents and I walking along the riverside, my small hands linked in theirs. I remembered my real smile, which was something I hadn't shown ever since.

But when I woke up, I knew something was wrong. I was no longer in my small bed, on the highest floor of Luna's hotel. Instead, I was in a limo. And not any ordinary limo. This one was huge. There was a curtain separating me from the other benches, and I freaked. I gasped, started hyperventilating, whatever happens in a panic attack.

The curtain flung open and I came face to face with Hotaru. Behind her were all the other royals, who were crammed side-by-side because they'd laid me down, taking up almost half the room. "Mikan, what's wrong?"

I looked at her angrily, my eyes incredulous. "_What's _wrong? You...you just kidnapped me! Without my consent!"

Hotaru sighed. "It's not kidnapping if we're being hospitable. We're giving you a new life, Mikan, where you don't have to suffer all the time."

"No. I refuse. Bring me back." I said adamantly. "I'm sorry, I can't go."

Tsubasa and Misaki were just confused. "Why? Mikan, that caretaker has done nothing but abuse you. If you came to the palace, we could finally fix things."

"I...I can't. Narumi told me that I could get exposed."

"Narumi gave his consent." Natsume said calmly.

"What? Really?"

"Yes," Natsume replied emotionlessly. It was hard to believe that this was the guy who'd seemed so caring yesterday night.

"Are you sure?"

Natsume turned to me with a dark look on his face. "Do I look like I'm kidding, you idiot?"

I shuddered. "N-no. I'll go back behind the curtain-"

"Oh no you don't!" Anna exclaimed, pulling me beside her. "Sweetie, we've got catch up time to do."

I groaned. "Please, no."

Nonoko grinned. "_Oh _yes."

"So I heard that you were breaking some hearts back in your old town?" Anna asked.

"What? Who told you that?"

"Oh, the maids around. They were happy to talk, especially the one who almost tackled Ruka. Larissa?"

I laughed. "She's crazy."

"We know," Ruka exclaimed, a scarred look on his face. "Oh, we know."

I smiled. A semi-real smile, but still not real. I turned back to the girls. "I don't know what Larissa told you, but I didn't date. I'm not a playgirl."

"Playgirl? Sounds weird. Is it even a word?"

I stared at the small silver-haired boy who'd just spoke: the youngest prince, Youichi, sitting across from me. I hadn't even noticed him before. "You weren't here yesterday."

"I always come fashionably late," Youichi said in his small voice. The tone was a little rough, but when I looked at him, he seemed so cute. I laughed a little, along with the other royals.

Then, "Do you remember me, Mikan?"

That stopped everyone in their tracks. I shook my head sadly. "I'm sorry."

"I knew it," Youichi said. Disappointment was clear in his voice, and then the kid started crying.

I was shocked. Everyone was. Youichi was known as the small boy who never showed emotions, like Natsume. They were brothers, after all.

"But you said I was your favorite little boy!" Youichi wailed.

At this, I smiled. I held out my arms and Youichi hopped from his bench to mine and settled in my arms. We stayed like that until we drifted off to sleep, as it was three a.m. in the morning...

* * *

6 A.M. at Luna's Hotel: (Luna's POV)

I kicked open the little brat's door, surprised that it wasn't locked. The little pest usually dead-bolted it shut. Huh. Maybe she was finally getting obedient.

And then when I noticed the empty bed, I knew something was off. I looked back at the door and realized that the deadbolt had been seared off, like it had been burned. Immediately, I knew this was the work of the prince. I let out a string of curses before running out the hall. Why didn't I notice it earlier? All the bodyguards were gone. I ran down and got the spare key and slammed open the doors. Empty, empty, empty.

I screamed and punched a wall. She was _gone_. I should've known the royals would recognize her. Even after all these years. They must've met up at one point...but when? And then it dawned on me. When I went out to finalize the contract of our hotel. They could've talked without me realizing it. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

I opened my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart. The person on the other end picked up immediately. "The girl's gone."

"_What?!_"

"I'm sorry, Persona. I don't know how it happened. I locked the doors."

"You bitch! How could you let her go? I already said I should've assassinated her a long time ago. But you...you disgusting piece of filth had to use her as a slave! I couldn't care less about her well being, but I knew this would happen."

"So it's my fault? You wanted me to torture her. You hated her family."

"So? Now she's alive, and back with the royals."

"She'll never expose her real identity, Persona. Relax. Nothing's changed."

"Are you nuts? That Yukihara is a threat to us. That girl has the most powerful Alices anybody could wish for!"

I snorted. "Like what, a pretty face?"

"I'll get you for this." And then the line clicked.

Luna's eyes widened. She dialed another number. "Hey, get me out of here tonight. Move all my savings to the foreign bank. I'm out of here within a couple hours, got it?"

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**How was it? Please rate and review! Sorry it took so long for me to update. **

**Clarifications: So the royals have taken Mikan back to the main palace, where all the royals live. Technically. It's the heart of the nation, because it's the point where all five provinces touch. Anyways, Youichi just came into the picture. He owns the limo that picked them all up. And he has a sweet spot for Mikan. So cute! . Anyways, Luna is connected to Persona! Yes, that's bad because Persona knows that Mikan is alive. A/N PERSONA WAS THE ASSASSIN (If you didn't get that part yet.)**


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